The American Studies Program originated in 1939. Among the key figures in the establishment of the program were Dean Virginia Gildersleeve, Elizabeth Reynard, and Elspeth Davies. For a short review of the beginning of the program, please see the Brief History of American Studies.

Papers submitted by Elspeth Davies Rostow '38 on the early years of the American Studies Program:

American Studies 1-2:
First Lecture (1941)
Syllabus (1941)
General Outline (1942-1943)
Lectures and Assignments on "The State" (1942)

American Studies 3-4:
First Semester Program (1941)
Reading List (1941)
Seminar Schedule (1941)

General Reading List, 1941-1942
Report on the American Studies Program at Barnard College, 1939-1942
American Studies Faculty List, 1944

At the end of the first year (1939-1940), the pioneer group of students took the following General Examination. The Preliminary Examination was given at the end of the first unit in the lecture course in 1941. Rostow notes, "How students were expected to cover all this in an hour I do not know!"